


To Boldly Go

by Northern_Lady



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Betazoid, Original Character-centric, Star Trek Universe, USS Exeter, Vulcan Culture, crossing lines - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 19:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18146714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Lady/pseuds/Northern_Lady
Summary: The new betazoid security officer on board the Exeter is picking up some strange feelings from their Vulcan engineer. He's always been able to win over women with his charm. Can he do it with this one?





	1. Chapter 1

It a beautiful ship, the USS Exeter. Bronn was almost sure he would hate it here anyway. Not because the ship wasn’t amazing or the assignment to Security wasn’t interesting but because the crew was so boring he thought he might have trouble staying awake if he had to keep working with them. They were all so serious about their jobs and granted, their jobs did need to be taken seriously but this whole thing was just stuffy and unentertaining. Where was the passion? Where were the people who felt feelings? 

The only thing these people ever felt in the first day he had met them had been mild amounts of worry over completing their work, hunger near meal times, and irritation when the food replicator broke down. As a Betazed, Bronn was used to feeling a much wider range of emotions and this place was dull. Dull as dirt. It had only been four hours and he was already worried that accepting this post had been a huge mistake. And then she walked in. 

She was a young Vulcan dressed in engineering colors and she entered the bridge and went straight for the Captain’s chair. 

“T’mel reporting from engineering sir. What may I assist with?” She stood in a stoic manner with her hands clasped behind her back but the Vulcan woman felt anything but stoic. She was irritated with someone in the room, was happy about recent news, and concerned about why the Captain had summoned her. 

“Yes, I just wanted to introduce you to our newest crew member since you were busy stuck in a Jeffries tube when he came aboard. Lieutenant T’mel, this is Lieutenant Bronn, our new chief of security.” 

T’mel turned to face him and the moment she laid eyes on him he felt it, attraction. This was not the first time a woman had taken notice of him. Bronn wasn’t exactly an ugly guy. He had sandy blond hair, six feet of height, and expressive dark eyes. Women noticed him a lot. This was however the first time one of those women had been a Vulcan. 

“I am pleased to meet you,” she said, extending her hand to shake his.

“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine,” he said with a grin. It was a line that made some girls basically swoon. Not T’mel though. She reacted with some mixture of irritation and amusement though she didn’t say a word. The offered hand was a high honor. Vulcans were notorious for not allowing physical contact. 

T’mel held his gaze for a moment and then turned to the Captain. “If that will be all Captain, I still need to finish recalibration.” 

She was trying to flee the bridge as quickly as she could. The fact that she had been initially attracted to him was genuinely worrying her. 

Bronn continued his work that day intrigued by T’mels reaction to him. He had met Vulcans before and was well aware that they all had deep and complex emotions beneath their logical exterior. He had felt Vulcan anger and amusement and even confusion in the past but never had he known one to react like a human would to his charm and good looks. This was new and it was fascinating. 

He saw her again in the mess hall at supper that day. He was leaving the line for the food replicator to return to his seat with his meal. T’mel was still waiting in line. Her eyes met his as he passed by her and he felt it again, stronger than before, she definitely wanted him. Bronn found an excuse not to sit at a table until after she had chosen one, then he went to sit with her. 

“Ordinarily, ensign Paxton sits in that seat,” she informed him but he wasn’t fooled by her words. 

“Well, I guess Paxton will sit somewhere else today,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think you mind me sitting here too much, not based on the emotions I am picking up from you.” 

“I have chosen logic over emotion.” 

“Always? Every time?” He asked. If he ever wanted to win someone over with his charm it was now. 

She raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you have forgotten that Vulcans are telepaths.” 

“I didn’t forget” not the least bit threatened by her reminder. He didn’t care if she knew what he was planning. Having her aware only made the challenge more interesting. 

“I will not be your romantic conquest,” she told him even as he felt her desire increase. 

“You know, I’m not really seeing the logic in lying to a Betazed about your emotions.” 

“My emotions are irrelevant. If you are going to sit at this table I would prefer that we converse about something else.” 

“Okay, I guess we can get the boring stuff out of the way. How long have you been with Starfleet?” he asked. 

“My service record is available in the ship’s computer. I find it difficult to believe, given the intensity of your current pursuit of my attention, that you have not already read it,” T’mel said evenly. 

“I did read it,” Bronn admitted good naturedly. “I know you graduated the Academy at the top of your class, spent six years on a starbase before being assigned here three years ago. I’m pretty sure you know I graduated the Academy with mediocre grades and served on the Reliant and Excalibur before I came here. I don’t care to talk about any of that stuff. What can you tell me about your parents? Your family?” he asked. It was always interesting to experience what people felt in relation to their closest family members. It tended to reveal a lot about the person. 

She did not answer the question right away. His words dredged up a massive feeling of grief in her and Bronn knew without further explanation that one of her parents were dead and she was not on good terms with the other one. 

“As my service record indicates, I was raised on 40 Eridani, the Starfleet shipyard located in the Vulcan sector. My father was a ship builder and my mother taught the school children of the personnel stationed there.” she explained.

“And they still work there?” he asked, curious to know the source of her feelings of grief and conflict. 

“There was an accident in the shipyard when I was eleven years old. My father did not survive and the details of the accident remain classified. My mother remained at her post teaching for three more years until my older sister returned to Vulcan to be married. My mother remained on Vulcan after that and is currently employed by the Vulcan Learning Center.” 

Well that explained the grief, the loss of her father at age eleven would certainly result in a lot of emotions. What wasn’t clear was if the conflict T’mel felt was with her mother or her sister. 

“Does your family reside on Betazed?” T’mel asked him before he could form the question he wanted to ask . 

“Yeah they do. My younger sister and brother still live there with my parents.My two older brothers are off having adventures somewhere,” he said, still amused by what they had set out to do. “They own a merchant ship. Lots of good stuff for sale from Betazed but sales isn’t the real goal. Their plan was to get drunk on as many planets as they can before they die.” 

T’mel raised an eyebrow. “That would explain some of unusual dealings I have had with Betazed mechants.” 

The only thing he felt at her statement was amusement. “It sounds like there’s a story behind that.” 

“Perhaps another time. It is not a short story and I must return to engineering in seven minutes.” 

“You have plans at the end of your shift?” he asked. 

“Do you ask out of mere curiosity or because you wish to continue this useless pursuit of my attention?” 

Bronn grinned, knowing that she still felt something for him in spite of her efforts to deny it. “There’s nothing useless about it. As long as you’re still feeling like you wish you could spend a night in my quarters for research purposes, as long as those emotions are still there, there’s hope.” 

T’mel said nothing to that but he could feel that his words had stirred up all sorts of emotions and desires in her. 

“Did I just make you blush?” he asked, seeing evidence of that very thing on her face. 

“It would be pointless to deny it,” she said, and he felt her emotions change to waves of guilt and shame and embarrassment. “You have succeeded in eliciting an emotional response. I must ask that you do not attempt to do so again.” At that, T’mel gathered her tray and stoically fled the table. 

Bronn watched her go and felt his own guilt begin to plague him. Maybe he really had pushed her too far. Yes, she had feelings for him but a culture and heritage of suppressing those emotions wasn’t something he was going to get past in one afternoon and maybe it had been rude of him to even try.


	2. Chapter 2

Bronn returned to his duties and was distracted from his work for hours with thoughts of T’Mel. That night he could hardly sleep. It was strangely ironic that she was the only person on this ship with such a wide range of emotions. He liked that about her. It didn’t exactly hurt that she was a very pretty woman as well. Mostly though, at the moment, he simply wanted to find a way to apologize for pushing her too far the previous day. Maybe if he could do something nice for her to make up for it. He couldn’t imagine she would be interested in gifts or even in a date at this point. There had to be something he could do. In the middle of the night he awoke with the realization of what he needed to do. 

Bronn got out of bed and sat down at the computer console in his room. “Computer, can you tell me the name of Lieutenant T’Mel’s father from her file?” 

“Lieutenant T’Mel’s father is listed as Duvok.” 

“And does Duvok have a file? What can you tell me about him?” Bronn continued. 

“Ensign Duvok was married to T’Pree. Both stationed on 40 Eridani and he was killed while carrying out his duties.” 

“How was he killed?” Bronn asked. 

“That information is classified,” the computer replied. 

“At what level clearance?” he asked. He was chief of security after all. Maybe it would help. 

“Priority 3.” 

“Computer, does anyone on this ship have priority 3 clearance?” 

“They do not. Priority 3 clearance is an admiral level clearance.”

Bronn thought about that for a moment, trying to remember if he had any connections with any admirals. He had met three in his life. Two of them had been guest instructors at the Academy and one had been a guest on board the ship where he was previously serving. He couldn’t contact the Admiral at this time of night but later, later he might just be able to get the information he needed. 

Bronn managed a few more hours of sleep and when morning came he sent out a message to Admiral April Keppler. 

“What can I do for you Bronn?” the forty eight year old Admiral came on screen. 

“How are things with you April?” he asked in a friendly tone, knowing that she would not allow most people to address her on a first name basis but he had little leeway as far as she was concerned. He always had. Making emotional connections with people was usually very simple for him. 

April smiled a little and smoothed her hair. “Things are just fine with me. How are you finding the Exeter?” 

“It’s not very exciting here. I definitely haven’t had as much fun as we did that night with all that Romulan ale.” he knew that reminding her of sentimental things would put her in a state receptive to being willing to help him. “However I do have a bit of a mystery to solve. I was hoping you could help.” 

“I will lend whatever aid I can,” she said amicably. 

“I am looking for information on a Vulcan named Duvok. He was stationed on 40 Eridani and was killed at his post. The question is, how?” 

April accessed the console in front of her and input some information. Her display screen was not visible to him but the disappointment on her face was. “You want me to share classified information with you?” 

“It’s for a friend. She’s spent a long time wanting to find out how and why her father died. I don’t need every detail, maybe just enough to provide a little closure.” 

April looked at the file again. “This would be Duvok’s daughter T’Mel I assume, since she is stationed with you.” 

“That would be the one,” Bronn agreed. 

“I’m not sharing classified information with you over an unsecure channel. What I will do, is contact command, get permission to redact some of this document so that the family may be informed of some of the circumstances surrounding what happened. I don’t think that will be a problem since half of this information isn’t really relevant anymore.”

“Thank you April. I appreciate this a lot. Next time I’m at the Starbase we’ll have to get another ale.” Bronn told her. 

“That we will,” she said with a smile. “Keppler out.” 

Bronn went about his duties that day without seeing T’Mel even once. She wasn’t present in the mess hall at mealtimes for breakfast or for lunch. At supper he saw her sitting at her usual table along with Ensign Gianna Paxton, a human medical officer. Bronn got his meal tray and joined the two women at their table. He didn’t engage either of them in conversation. He just ate and observed. 

“...So after that Landon tried to tell me that he’d forgotten. How can a man forgot that he asked two women for a date on the same night? He’s a science officer. He can’t possibly be that stupid can he?” Paxton was saying. She was furious, her emotions were clearly there to read. 

“Perhaps he can,” T’Mel said, both irritated and amused. “In my experience the males of most species are not very rational where women are concerned.” 

“No, I guess I wasn’t being very rational either,” Paxton admitted. 

T’Mel raised an eyebrow. “Did you truly slap him in the face?” 

Bronn couldn’t help but smile to himself when he realized that the Vulcan woman was greatly amused by this story. 

“Yes,” Gianna looked down rather guiltily. “I am sorry. I really have been trying to apply what you taught me. It helps me focus when I’m having a bad night.” 

“It will help you if you continue to meditate but changes in your ability to control your emotions will not happen quickly. It will take years of discipline. I have observed you already have made a significant amount of progress,” the Vulcan woman’s words were meant to be reassuring. Bronn could feel her concern for Gianna. 

“Thanks, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Gianna wiped away an unwanted tear. “I don’t know how you do it.”

At that moment both women were thinking about some great loss. The feeling was not that of the loss of a parent but the loss of a partner, a lover or a spouse. This must have been why they sat together at meals and had bonded at all. 

“It has only been one point five years. Given time, you will find it is easier to bear.” T’mel continued. 

“How long did it take you?” Paxton wanted to know. 

The questioned only intensified T’Mel’s feelings of loss. “I can not give a definitive answer. I only know that since the loss of my husband four years ago, I have learned that I am capable of bearing many things. I believe you will find the same to be true of yourself.” 

The conversation at that point turned to Landon, the man who had asked Gianna to meet him for a date and then been at dinner with someone else when she arrived. Eventually Gianna left the table to return to her post and left Bronn and T’Mel alone at the table. 

“I want to apologize for yesterday,” he said. “I crossed a line. It won’t happen again.” 

T’Mel had not expected an apology. She raised an eyebrow. “Apology accepted.” 

“That doesn’t mean I’ve lost interest,” he continued. 

“Noted,” she said dryly. She hadn’t lost interest either, he was well aware. 

“Can you just tell me why it is that you’re so opposed to any sort of a relationship? Is it because of being a widow?” 

“It is not,” she said without explaining further. 

“So your family has arranged another marriage?” he pried. 

That question brought back the feelings of conflict related to her family that he had observed in her the previous day. She was intensely upset with her family for some reason. 

“They intended to do so, yes. I did not accept it. They were not pleased with my decision.” 

This was intriguing. It didn’t answer his question but it was intriguing. “Then it seems to me that if you aren’t going to marry the person they picked for you, you’ll need to be in a relationship with someone since your people have Pon Farr.” 

“That is incorrect on two accounts. I am on a ship full of crew mates who are governed by their emotions rather than logic. As such, I am aware that many of the males here have taken an interest in me. When Pon Farr arrives, I could pick a short term mate from among them. On the second account, I am not opposed to a relationship. I am opposed being a partner for one night alone, another romantic conquest.” 

“Really?” Bronn found himself saying even though he knew she had spoken the truth. “Because I just assumed I didn’t have a chance for anything more than maybe a kiss. If you’re saying you’d consider more...well how about dinner tomorrow night?” 

“That would be acceptable.” she said, overwhelmed with a mixture of desire and worry.


End file.
